Blue October

Real Rock Meets True Vocals

Blue October, the rock band from Houston, TX, is coming to The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center on November 17 for their “Sorry Boy Burns Bright” fall tour with very special guests Yellowcard, Shiny Toy Guns and Lovedrug.

Blue October’s style is an original sound with lyrics that are a window to lead singer Justin Furstenfeld’s most personal thoughts, feelings and experiences. The rest of the band consists of guitarist CB Hudson, bassist Matt Noveskey, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld and violinist Ryan Delahoussaye. Blue October makes music that can be appreciated by diverse audiences. Some of the band’s melancholic songs have vocals similar to those of Peter Gabriel. On their more upbeat songs, they have been compared more to U2 and sometimes Pink Floyd. Furstenfeld states of their music and fans, “And it’s not just one genre. It’s people who like hip-hop, it’s people who like rock…” He pauses and laughs. “I don’t really separate them as categories.”

The band’s new album, Foiled, was certified platinum in the US and Canada in February of this year, with the popular hits, “Hate Me,” which was prevalent in the Modern Rock Top 10 for more than six months, and, “Into The Ocean” which reached #1 on VH-1. A succession of sold-out tours cemented the Texas band’s reputation as a new force in music, with Justin Furstenfeld’s suggestive and painfully real lyrics attracting a diverse and growing audience for the Houston based five-some.

Starting out in 1996 in San Marcos, the group got its name from a particularly lonely October when Justin was in the hospital. The band’s popularity grew immensely as it sold 5,000 copies of its debut album, The Answers in Houston alone and went on to make early television performances for the local ABC affiliate. Blue October’s popularity really took off though with their hit single “Calling You” and they became a household name with “Hate Me.”

Blue October holds a special relationship with the city of Austin. Before coming to Austin for The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center concert, Blue October will play at the world famous Austin City Limits festival on Saturday, September 15 and the last time the band was here in March, they recorded their forthcoming live album at Stubb’s, appropriately titled Live at Stubb’s.

Joining Blue October on tour will be alternative rock bands Yellowcard, Shiny Toy Guns and Lovedrug. Yellowcard, taking their name from the soccer punishment, hails from Jacksonville, Florida. Yellowcard reached universal acclaim for their breakthrough single “Ocean Avenue,” released in 2004. The band actually maintains that “Ocean Avenue” is a nostalgic song about life back in Jacksonville. They are currently promoting their new album, Paper Walls, released July 17. Lead singer Ryan Key describes it as “...very much a record of hope and finding yourself again. It’s after you’ve come through all of that – going to the height of it – and picking yourself back up again. And by ‘hitting rock bottom’ I don’t mean in record sales or fame or any of that ... I mean personally – emotionally...Paper Walls is the story, the feeling, of what it’s like to be out of those holes, looking back, no regrets, but smarter and having grown through them.”

Shiny Toy Guns have made their mark through hit singles, “Le Disco” and “You Are the One,” both on their current album We Are Pilots. Shiny Toy Guns is currently touring to promote the album and shooting the music video for their next single, “Rainy Monday.”

The lineup will also include Lovedrug, the indie rock band from Canton, Ohio. The band is formed by members Michael Shepard, David Owens IV, Korey Jones, and James Childress. They are on tour promoting their most current album, Everything Starts Where it Ends.

This festival-like tour featuring Blue October and supporting bands Yellowcard, Shiny Toy Guns and Lovedrug, is a must-see event, so come catch them all at The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center on November 17.